Convincing or persuading
"To try to persuade is like showing that you don't have the arguments to convince". - Elisabeth Wolff
This quote was on the cover of my yellow folder entitled "Des mots pour convaincre" (Words to Convince) for 4th year of secondary school. The world belongs to those who know how to write good essays. Any doubts? Stop going on LinkedIn without reading me 😉
Convincing should never mean manipulating. As a literature teacher, I remember that the best arguments always came from those who spoke from their heart and sincerity.
Elisabeth Wolff prefers the verb "to convince" to "to persuade" for etymological reasons. To convince comes from the Latin "convincere", composed of "con-" (with, together), and "vincere" (to conquer), literally meaning "to conquer together". Convincing therefore implies a clear and decisive demonstration that makes people accept the truth or validity of the arguments presented. It is an act of respect towards the other person, recognising their intelligence and ability to make informed decisions. 🗝️
Persuade, on the other hand, comes from the Latin "persuadere" (composed of "per-" meaning "through" and "suadere" meaning "to advise, recommend") and places greater emphasis on emotions and suggestion. Persuading means getting an idea across through emotional or subjective arguments, which can border on manipulation.
Let's take an extract from the film "Le Brio" by Yvan Attal. In this film, Professor Pierre Mazard helps Neïla Salah to develop her rhetorical skills for a competition. He doesn't teach her to manipulate her audience, but to convince through the power of her arguments and the authenticity of her approach. 🎬
Our copywriters, trained in ethical marketing writing, understand this fundamental distinction. Convincing a customer doesn't mean manipulating them, lying to them, creating a false sense of urgency or making them feel guilty. Rather, it means communicating with authenticity, showing empathy, provoking genuine emotions, demonstrating our expertise and credibility transparently and using storytelling poetically. 📚✨
Personally, I write with my head and my heart. As a result, TOFU-MOFU-BOFU is TOUFU for the literature teacher who has an easy time criticising the FOMO technique! I'm quite JOMO. 😄 But more seriously, our approach is based on respect for the customer and solid values. We believe in telling great stories, surprising and captivating the reader, without ever veering towards manipulation. And on top of that, we dare to be funny! "A sense of humour is the most revealing quality of intelligence". - Sigmund Freud
🗝️Ne no longer talk about persuasive writing. Etymology tells you that you're shooting yourself in the foot. 💥 Take notes, egopreneurs!
"Right now, we're witnessing a major paradigm shift in the world of marketing." Alexandra Martel
